


Morning After

by boomsherlocka



Series: Fics for Friends [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Rituals, post-transformation snuggles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-24
Updated: 2014-04-24
Packaged: 2018-01-20 15:52:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1516322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boomsherlocka/pseuds/boomsherlocka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for my good friend Whitney, who requested rituals between the two of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morning After

**Author's Note:**

> No beta for this drabble. Enjoy all the same.

It was a cold, quiet morning. Still, despite the chaos of the night before.

She had waited outside of the spare bedroom they had left empty specifically for this purpose, making sure the wards held. They always did, but she wanted to be there if they failed. She had promised Remus that she would, and she always kept her promises to him.

The first time they had done this, she was anxious, the sounds of his painful change echoing in the empty room and in her head. His suffering made her shake, and as the sun rose and the full moon set she found herself curled in a tight ball against the door, eyes dry and itching after a night of tears.

She had opened the door and found Remus lying naked in the floor, his fingernails torn and bleeding from scratching at the door, begging to be free. She knelt down at his side, almost afraid to rouse him from sleep. When she finally did he let out a long sigh, rolling over onto his back to peer up at her, almost as if he had never seen her before.

He offered her a sad smile, kind amber eyes crinkling a bit as he asked “Ready to leave yet?”

She lowered a hand to slide through his grey-flecked hair and shook her head. “Hush now, sunshine. I waited too long for you to leave just yet.”

He had laughed then, closed his eyes, and allowed her to lead him to bed.

It got easier every time. The beast seemed to grow accustomed to the room, the routine, but it never stopped begging to be let out. She would often feel hot breath along the space at the bottom of the door as the wolf sniffed, a low rumble sounding through the magically reinforced wood. She longed to open the door, comfort Remus—or the wolf he became—but she knew he would never allow it. A wolf tamed with Wolfsbane was still a wolf.

As the moon waned he would grow more restless, whimpering and whining. She would talk to him, soothe him, and promise him everything in the world once day broke.

The he would fall silent. The shift back was always in silence.

She would then open the door, lift him into her arms, and carry him to the bedroom where she had a bowl of warm water waiting. She would bathe him slowly, cleaning away any blood left behind, before slowly stripping out of her clothes. She would then cocoon them both in blanket after blanket, building a nest of blankets to protect them both from the cold morning air.

And finally, finally, Nymphadora would allow herself to fall asleep with her head pillowed on Remus’ chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.


End file.
